


Something Wicked This Way Comes

by The_Samurai_Prince



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: ;), Action, Action & Romance, Batman and Teen Titans, Drama, F/M, Gen, It's like a DCAU thing, Kind of a crossover, Multi, Teen Titans vs. Joker, with a little bit of elements from the Arkham Asylum game.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-09-26 16:03:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20392384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Samurai_Prince/pseuds/The_Samurai_Prince
Summary: Joker is in Jump City for something specific, as well as visiting his 'favorite' bird. Will the Titans handle the self-proclaimed Clown Prince of Crime's newest sinister plot? (Robin/Raven. Set after Trouble in Tokyo, excludes s5, featuring Batman.)





	1. Putting a Smile on Jump City

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here's this as well! :D I hope there are some RobRae fans here! This is my story of how the Joker comes to Jump City and does what he does best; causing chaos and mayhem! Hang on folks, cause it's gonna get epic here! ;)

**xXx**

**Something Wicked This Way Comes**

**xXx**

* * *

Gotham City, a bustling and gloomy metropolis. Over a million people live here in this Gothic city, which is the yang to Metropolis' yin. While the city of Metropolis is the home of the good and pure-hearted Superman, Gotham City is the home of the dark and brooding Batman. In Metropolis, happy people and clear skies are the themes of the city; however, with Gotham, it is made of much harsher facades and a cloudy atmosphere. The city also makes a good place for criminals to hide in plain sight, so they can plan out their devious schemes.

And one such villain in Gotham is hiding in a building, planning his next move.

This hiding place was Jolly Jester's Jack in the Box; a long condemned, and run-down party house. The building is a two-story structure made of large bricks topped with a giant, smiling clown head with the name plastered along the facade. Its once brilliant red paint job has long since faded to a dreary, pasty pink and many of the windows were either boarded-up or broken. While many Gothamites look to this building with distaste, there is one that found the building to be his dream home.

The city's Clown Prince of Crime: Joker.

* * *

"Harley! Get these mangy mutts out of here! I can't hear the television!"

Inside the shambled remains of Jolly Jester's, the Joker sat in his favorite chair in the break-room portion of the building, trying to watch the news. _Trying_ was the keyword, because Harley's pet hyenas, Bud and Lou, were sitting in front of the screen whining to be fed dinner.

"Well maybe if ya fed 'em, they would leave ya alone," came the heavily-accented voice of Joker's female companion as she walked into their quote-unquote 'living room' with her costume on, as well as her apron that's around her figure.

Joker turned his head to send a glare towards the once psychiatrist-turned-crazed villain of a woman. Harley, in compliance with her name, was still dressed like a harlequin, with her jester-like outfit in a black-and-red patterned, skin-tight suit with a white collar. The young woman's face was also still covered in white clown makeup with ruby-red lipstick and a domino mask, but this mask still allows to let people see her striking blue eyes. To top off the outfit, Harley wore her two-stem jester's hat.

Harley, being dangerously athletic, managed to stay fit during her time with Joker. As they both caused mayhem together throughout the years, the criminal clown noticed that Harley had managed to still look good in her outfit, even with the apron on her as she stood there with her hands on her hips.

_'Nothing like a little eye candy once in a while.' _Once he briefly took a good look at her, he went back to being frustrated as he exclaimed, "They're your pets, Harl'! Ones if I recall you begged for, promising that you'd take care of them!"

Harley let out a disgruntled huff as she walked over and pet their heads, her form being in front of the television as well, "Well, excuse me for tryin' to make things a little more homey, Puddin'. They just want some attention is all!"

"Yes, I _see_ that, and I'll feed them an actual _bone_ in a moment! I want to see and hear the news right now though, so just get them _out of the way_!" Joker hollered.

The hyenas, Bud and Lou, both whimpered while Harley frowned. "Now Puddin', you know not to yell at my babies! Apologize to them right now!"

Joker growled in anger as he ran a hand down on his face. _'I might as well get this over with and just do it. It_ is_ easier that way.' _He took a deep breath and turned his attention to Bud and Lou. He scowled at them for a second and with a fake smile, he patted them on the heads and said, "I'm sorry Bud and Lou, Daddy just...wants to watch the news and have some _time to myself_." he stressed the last three words really well. "Harley here will give you two something to eat, _right _Harl?"

Harley smiled, "I sure will, Puddin'! Come on, Bud and Lou! Time for your dinner!" she then pulled their collars, and the hyenas, who seemed to be calmer now, obeyed and began to follow their owner to the makeshift kitchen that they have in the building.

_'Uuuugh...finally!' _Joker scowled at Harley's direction. Once the mammals and the nagging woman were out of the way, Joker turned his gleaming red eyes back to the bright TV screen to the news broadcasters.

"_That's right, Tom. Dr. Penelope Young, head R&D at Simtech here in Gotham, is heading to Jump City where this year's annual World Medicine Conference will be taking place."_

The Joker watched with a devious smile as he turned up the volume on the TV.

"_Rumor has it that Dr. Young has been working on an edited version of her failed Titan formula that was in development for the military's 'Super Soldier' project. However, this new brand is meant to be used in the restoration of muscle tissue in those suffering from sarcopenia by rapidly replacing the muscle tissue lost with newer, healthier fibers."_

_'Ah, yes...this is exactly what I wanted to hear,' _Joker thought with satisfaction.

The deranged clown remembered researching the Titan formula, after catching wind of its creation some time ago and studying the chemical's effects on the human body. The pasty-faced villain was shocked to find, almost immediately, just how similar in structure the Titan was to Venom; the formula his fellow villain Bane was known to use. However, upon closer inspection, the Joker noticed that Titan's formula had noticeable gaps where Venom's didn't; mainly with how the drug would blend with the recipient's natural DNA structure.

Titan failed in many of those regards in its earlier stages, and since then Joker kept tabs on the Titan formula, he had watched it stabilized into a much less dangerous drug. Even with that said, there was the side effect that makes the subject become crazy and feral, losing their mind during the procedures. Joker soon returned his attention back to the TV when he noticed they were still talking about Dr. Young.

"_...believe this version will be easier to control. Dr. Young assures worried citizens that this newer, more civilian-level drug has been diluted to such a degree that there will be a minimal risk with taking what she has dubbed TN-1. We now go to Jump, where Tina Neto will be covering the conference in person."_

The screen switched over, from the newsroom to another woman, this one an older looking reporter. She was standing along the shoreline of a lake, the sun setting down for the day, and behind her was an island with a giant 'T' tower.

"_Thanks, Marisa. I'm here in Jump City waiting for the beginning of the conference which will begin five days from now."_

"_Now Tina," came the disembodied male voice of Tom, "could you mind telling the folks at home just where it is your standing?"_

_The woman replied, "Certainly Tom. I'm standing along the bank of the Titan River, aptly named because, as you can see behind me, this city is home to the Teen Titans, and that over there is their tower."_

_Tom's voice came through again, "The Teen Titans, now isn't that the same group that's lead by Gotham's former Boy Wonder?"_

The Joker's eyebrows lifted high into his hairline at that piece of news. While it was true the clown hadn't seen hide nor hair of the brightly-colored sidekick in quite a while, he just assumed the boy had died in the line of duty, especially with how much more brutal Batman's beatings had become lately. Now to hear that the mouthy little runt was alive, and playing 'superhero' in another city no less, gave the Joker a fun idea.

Originally, the Joker had already planned to visit Jump as a way to catch a break from Batman and get his hands on the Titan formula, but now, now he had another goal in mind.

_'Well, well! If Robin thinks he's ready to play in the big leagues, who better to be his true test than little ol' me?'_ he thought to himself with mischievous excitement.

Turning his head away from the television and towards the doorway to his right Joker called out, "Harley! Pack your bags, we're going on a trip! HAHAHAHAHAAAAA!"


	2. New Company for the Wicked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin and Raven have a quiet morning as they talk. Meanwhile, Joker and Harley find a place to set camp but are surprised to find out that it's already occupied by three superpowered delinquents.

Jump City. A city on the coast full of fun times as well as eccentric people and places. It's also home to five teen superheroes who protect this city: the Teen Titans.

It was morning and the sun was coming up on the horizon, the early rays of sunlight illuminating the glass skyscrapers and the vast ocean. But there's one structure building in the city that outshines them all. In the centerpiece of the city, which was on a rocky island on a river that separates the city, was the grand Titan's Tower, where the Teen Titans reside.

In fact, as soon as sunlight peeked through windows in the early morning, one female Titan began to stir in her bed; the dark heroine known as Raven. The light streamed in the dark room as the rays hit Raven's face, her closed eyelids fidgeting a little. When she slowly opened her violet eyes, her eyes adjust to the light. She then sat up on her bed and stretched, adjusting her neck in the process. Once she's done with that, she sat there to get her bearings together. For a moment in silence, she let the thoughts come back to her as she thought over past events...

Eventually, she breathed out a small frustrated sigh, shaking her head as if to clear her mind of these thoughts that plague her.

_'Is there a reason why I'm ___still stuck on this?' __Raven thought.

Still sitting there on her bed, she tucked a lock of purple hair behind her right ear.

It's been a month since the mission in Tokyo. During their time there, Robin and Starfire finally hooked up, establishing themselves that they're now a couple.

It was bound to happen. Cyborg knew it. Beast Boy knew it. Even _she _knew it. They all looked on at the happy couple, smiling at their newly formed love for each other, their new step to their relationship.

So why does the Tower's resident female dark bird feel so...odd about all of this? Why does she feel so confused and lost whenever she sees them together?

She frowned. Glancing at the alarm clock, it read 6:00 AM.

Taking a deep sigh, she tossed her covers out of the way, exposing her black pajama shorts and a dark blue sleeveless shirt. She let her legs hang over the edge of her circular bed as she sat there in deep thought...

Growling in annoyance, she got up from her mattress, going over to her closet to get one of her leotards for the day. As soon as she flipped the switch in her closet, she looked at herself in the walk-in mirror.

She gazed at her shapely figure in the reflection and looked at herself...

...She likes to think she looks attractive.

_'Wait, what am I...?' _Raven grunted irritably, "Enough of this," she muttered to herself as she got one of her black leotards for the day. Changing into one of them, she grabbed her signature dark blue cloak from her gothic-looking coat tree and wrapped it around her; pulling her hood up. She walked over to her door and exited out of her room, which the door made a soft _whooshing_ sound when it opens and closed behind her.

As she made her way to the living room, Raven was coming up to Robin's room while she walked...

She stopped next to it and glanced at Robin's door for a second...and kept on walking. Once she made it to the living area, she entered through the sliding mechanical doors as they emit a loud _whoosh_. Raven entered the living/den/kitchen area, the doors closing behind her.

"Hey, Raven," said a young man's voice.

Raven, a little surprised to hear the voice, turned to it to see that Robin is sitting at the kitchen counter, reading the paper, with a mug of coffee in front of him.

"You're up a little later than usual," Robin lowered the paper to glance at Raven with a smile.

She stood there for a moment as she said in her monotone, "I decided to get some more shut-eye since that fight with Adonis lasted until late at night."

Robin chuckled, "Yeah. Adonis apparently doesn't care about beauty sleep enough that he had to go and try to steal a prized gem."

Raven smirked slightly, "For a gem that runs on solar power, did he had to steal it at night? Why not daytime when it's it's more powerful or something?"

"Nah. That would be using his brains rather than his brawn," Robin joked.

She softly chuckled.

"You know, you're getting better at that," Robin said with a grin.

Raven blinked, "At what?"

"At showing your emotions a lot more," Robin said.

She gave him a small smile, "Yeah...thanks to you guys."

Robin smiled back, "Anytime, Rae."

Her face became a little warm when he called her by her nickname, _'Huh...why do I feel that way when Robin says that name to me?'_

Deciding to ignore this feeling she has in her belly, she went to get her teapot to fix her herbal tea.

As she was preparing to brew her tea, Robin kept reading the paper...

"Hm..." Robin hummed in interest, "The World Medicine Conference is coming to Jump City just two days from now," Robin explained.

Raven turned to Robin and raised a brow, "Uh...yeah, and...?"

Robin lowered the paper to look at Raven with a serious expression. "Some of these medicines are more than likely going to contain lethal chemicals that have dangerous properties which affect the body."

Raven looked at him curiously, "Uh...how do you know?"

Robin smirked, "Did some research. There are some medicines that are just basic, but..." his smirk turned into a frown, "there's one that interests me."

"And that would be...?"

"A medicine called TN-1. It was developed in Gotham..."

Her eyes widened, "Your home city?"

"Yeah..." Robin expression looks distant for a slight moment, and Raven could feel certain emotions, something akin to...elation, but with a hint of sadness and...regret?

Robin, however, continued talking, "It's made by a pharmaceutical company called Simtech. I looked it up and hacked into some files, and TN-1 is basically a less powerful drug that helps strengthen the muscle fibers. It says here in the paper that it helps with people that have early sarcopenia, or just suffer from severe muscle tissue loss."

_'I wonder what brought this on,' _Raven mused in her head, "Less powerful? What was it originally for?"

"Apparently the drug was supposed to be a top-secret project from the government to make a super-soldier serum. The drug, which was originally named TITAN, would be strong enough to even withstand bullets to the body."

"Wow..." Raven then raised a brow, "TITAN, huh? I'm guessing they didn't name it after us," Raven commented.

"Heh, nope," Robin smirked.

Raven crossed her arms below her chest, "Well, you sound like you've been pretty busy. And I really don't know if you should be hacking into anything that's government-related."

"Hey, I wasn't caught," Robin defended himself with a shrug.

"Either way, it would be nice for you to tell us all about this," Raven said with an accusing look.

"I was going to tell you all early on today," Robin said with a sheepish smile.

"And you're telling _me_ now, because...?"

"Well, you wanted to know," Robin said, his smile turned into a teasing one.

Raven rolled her eyes, "I have a feeling you're going to tell us more than just that."

"Maybe. Who knows? I'm a man full of secrets," Robin joked.

"Riiight," Raven then went back on subject. "So, why did this TITAN drug fail?"

"Well, the serum was just...unstable," Robin's facial expression then turned grave, "...They tested on an inmate from Arkham Asylum in Gotham."

Raven's eyes widened once more in shock, "That's...supposed to be a place full of the most dangerous criminals, right?"

"Yeah...they tried it on one inmate...he goes by Bane."

"Bane...he's one of your villains, right?" Raven asked.

"Well, he's more of Bat..." he paused, "...either way, he's like Adonis, only more clever and conniving. He uses his own serum known as Venom to make his body grow stronger."

Raven noticed that Robin didn't mention his mentor's name. "Hm..."

_'Should I ask him? He never really talks about his mentor Batman that much...'_

Deciding she'll ask about it later, she asked, "What made the TITAN drug so unstable?"

"Basically, from what I heard in the reports, it just made Bane act more savage, like an animal. Not only does it affect the body, but it also affects the mind as well. Before it got too extreme, they used an antidote on him, making him go back to his original form. They had a struggle, but they contained him nonetheless."

"Sounds pretty dangerous indeed," Raven commented.

"Yeah...so the head R&D decided to make something worthwhile with what she got, so she made a lesser civilian-type medicine."

"Hmm..." it was then the teapot was whistling. She turned to the teapot and started to pout her tea into her favorite teacup. "Does this lesser type of the drug still have certain side-effects?"

"I read that it may give out a little bit of discomfort, but so far so good," Robin told her.

"Hm..." with her teacup in her hands, she sipped her hot beverage. Once she was done with her sip, she turned back to Robin, "Is...there a reason _why _you've researched all of this?"

Robin just smiled, "I might as well fess up, huh?"

"...What _exactly _are you fessing up?"

"Well, I was gonna wait until everyone is here, but since you talked me into telling you, I'll just go out and say it; the director of the Conference gave me a call and wanted us to guard some of the researchers and products that they're advertising. And guess which one is most likely to be guarded at all times?"

"TN-1 and this...woman who made it?" Raven answered, certain that Robin told her that the R&D was a 'she'.

Robin nodded, "Exactly. The woman is named Dr. Penelope Young, and she told the director to give us a call. She's worried that some maniac would try to use the TN-1's original formula for his or her own needs."

"Huh...so we're going to be at the Conference two days from now and be on our guard from any potential thieves and criminals who will try to steal this TN-1?"

"Yep," Robin nodded again, "I got the call before we faced Adonis. I would've told you guys sooner, but we were all pretty beat."

Raven smirked, "Understandable. And I guess I should be flattered you would tell me first."

Robin chuckled, "Hey, we got a bond, remember?"

Her smirk slightly dropped, "...Yeah,"

The Boy Wonder gave her another smile and glanced at his coffee on the counter, "Need to heat this backup." he said absentmindedly as he lets the paper rest on the counter and grabbed his coffee mug. He walked around the counter to the microwave and placed the caffeinated drink inside it, heating it up in the process.

Raven glanced at her leader and thought it was a good time to ask about his past...however, she went a different approach, "Do you ever miss it there?"

Robin turned his head to Raven while his coffee was heating up, "What now?"

"Do you ever miss it there?" Raven repeated, "…Gotham?"

Robin was silent for a moment, as he seemed to be actually thinking about it. Raven took this time to read his emotions, and one that she can make out more felt like...regret again.

It was then the Boy Wonder said, "At times. Don't miss the villains there, though."

"Like Bane?" Raven asked.

"Yeah...but mostly The Joker."

"Joker...is he that clown guy?"

"Yeah...he's the worst of the bunch."

"...Clowns can be scary at times." Raven semi-joked.

Robin chuckled, and soon his coffee was done. He opened the microwave door, got his mug out, and closed its door, all the while saying, "I'll tell you one thing, Beastboy is way funnier than him."

Raven blinked, "...Wow. He must be evil if his jokes are worse than Beastboy's."

Now the Boy Wonder laughed slightly a bit. Raven liked how he laughed...

Once his laughter dies down, "You know what? You're funnier than both of them combined."

Her face grew warm just a bit. _'There it is again...' _"Wow, thanks. I guess I should try to be a stand-up comedian than being a super-heroine then."

Robin shook his head as he chuckled, "I'd go see it."

Rolling her eyes, Raven said, "Bring Starfire and the rest with you. I'll probably even school Beastboy."

He laughed, and even Raven gave out a chuckle. They stood there in comfortable silence for a moment...

_'Well, it's now or never...' _thought Raven.

"...Robin?"

Robin, who took a sip of his coffee looked at Raven, "Yeah?"

"...Why do you never talk about your mentor?"

She couldn't tell, but his eyes might've widened a bit. "My mentor?"

"You know...Batman."

More silence lingered on a bit...Robin glanced down at the warm coffee, not saying anything at the moment.

Raven frowned, feeling like she might've said too much, "I'm...I'm sorry. I was just-"

"No, i-it's okay..." Robin interrupted her, "I guess...I haven't really told the others about me and my days with...Batman. Especially Starfire...mostly because I want to keep it all to myself..."

Raven remained silent.

"I mean...he's basically the reason I became my own hero, actually..." Robin frowned, "...I left him on bad terms, though."

"...What...happened, if you don't mind me asking?" Raven asked her leader warily.

"...We exchange some stupid words...and...I just never looked back after that..."

Raven felt another emotion laced with regret. This felt like...pure sorrow.

"I get what he was trying to do, though...he was trying to protect me from any danger that I could stir up...but...again, I wanted to be my own hero. I didn't want to be recognized as his sidekick anymore...I wanted to be like _him_. And...he basically said I couldn't."

"...Why would he say that?"

"Heh, number of reasons...I know what he meant though. He wasn't saying I can never _be _like him fighting-wise...he was just saying that I _can't_ be like him."

Raven tilted her head in question.

Robin smiled. "Batman went through a lot...he doesn't want me to be like him due to his crime-fighting lifestyle. He was looking out for me as a father would look out for his son...I didn't listen, though."

Raven felt obliged to ask, "Why didn't you?"

"...It's not because I wanted fame or glory...I just wanted to find myself, really...to see if I can live up to this. To be a hero and save innocent lives as best as I can..." he looked up at Raven, "And really...I'm glad I made the right choice. Cause I wouldn't be able to find you guys and form this team."

Raven smiled as well, "You know...if I was Batman...I would think he would be proud of you."

Robin looked surprised by that statement, but his smile turned appreciative, "Thanks, Rae."

Before that odd feeling could come up again, they heard the same loud _whoosh _sound as the others came into the living area.

"Morning, y'all!" came the upbeat voice of Cyborg.

Robin and Raven turned to the open doors to see their three other teammates, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire, coming into the living area.

"What's happening, dudes?" Beast Boy said jovially.

"Good morning, friends!" Starfire greeted Robin and Raven with a bright smile.

"Hey, guys! Hey Star," Robin greeted them individually with a smile.

Starfire blushed and went next to Robin, which she grabbed his left arm and gave it a squeeze, kissing him on the cheek as she did, which made Robin flush and chuckle a little bashfully.

Raven for some reason felt...a little negative towards that.

"Ugh! Come on already! Are you two still going to keep greeting each other like this every morning? It was cute before, but now it's just getting old," Beastboy said with a grimace.

"Aww, come on, BB, don't harass the couple," Cyborg scolded the green boy, "I think it's really sweet. Don't you agree, Raven?" he asked the other female resident.

All eyes were on Raven, and she just looked at each of them. "...Yeah, it's sweet, but I think it does get kind of redundant after a while."

"See!? Even Raven agrees with me! ...Wait, did you just _agreed_ with me?" Beastboy asked Raven in shock.

Raven gave him a dull look. "Hell no. I said it _was_ sweet, but now it's getting kind of redundant."

"Actually, that's exactly what Beastboy just said, only in a different way," Cyborg noted, only for Raven to cast a glare at him.

"Oh my _gosh! _Everyone! Let this day be the day that Raven actually _agreed_ with me!" Beastboy said with a happy grin.

"I'll admit that when Hell actually freezes over. And I've been there; it doesn't look like it'll freeze over anytime soon." Raven said with a defiant frown.

Robin chuckled, "Okay, that's enough, guys," he then turned to Starfire, "And no offense Star, but, even though I do like the attention, let's think about our friends for the time being."

Starfire blinked, but understood as she smiled sweetly, "I guess it would be rather..." she tried to find the right word, "...uncomfortable for our friends to witness our blooming relationship in front of them!" she let go of Robin's arm and said clasped her hands together as if she was pleading, "I am so sorry friends! I am very much new to Earth relationships and I couldn't help but express my love towards Robin."

Raven suddenly felt...annoyed? She looked at the floor for a second in thought.

_'Why am I feeling this way?'_

"Aww, don't be sorry, Star. We know you couldn't help yourself!" Cyborg smiled.

"Yeah! I mean, you guys are a couple now! You can get mushy whenever you want...just...you know, don't do it in front of us," Beastboy advised awkwardly.

Robin chortled with a smile, "Duly noted."

"Oh yes! We will mostly be in a more private setting when we get...'physical' as they would say?"

"Whoa! Lalalalaaaa" exclaimed a wide-eyed Beastboy as he put his fingers in his ears, "I'm not _listening_!"

Cyborg blinked while Raven frowned.

"Star! No, we're not getting _p-physical_!" Robin said with an embarrassed blush.

Starfire looked confused. "We're not? But do couples tend to touch each other when they kiss?"

"Uh..." Robin blushed harder.

"You know, how about we get something to eat? Robin has something to tell us all that I think needs our attention for the next two days." Raven said, hoping this awkward moment will pass.

"Great idea, Rae! How about I cook up some of my famous flapjacks?" Cyborg said with a grin.

"Uh, yeah, sounds great Cy," Robin said with a grateful smile.

"Oh yes! The flappy-jacks would be most wonderful to eat!" Starfire said joyfully.

Upon hearing that, Beastboy let his fingers out of his ears and said, "Flapjacks!? Nuh-uh! You made those last time! It's my turn; I'm making us some healthy tofu-cakes!"

Cyborg looked at him with a monotone stare. "All in favor for my famous flapjacks, raise your hands."

Raven instantly rose her hand up, as well as Robin. Starfire was the last to raise her hand with an apologetic look on her face.

"What!? Star, I thought you liked them!" Beastboy said in disbelief.

"Well...I do actually, but...Cyborg's flappy-jacks are more...fluffier, and," Starfire said a little sheepish, rubbing the back of her neck, "Well...I would like a fluffy flappy-jack right now."

"B-But, you already have one yesterday morning!" Beastboy exclaimed.

"Look, green-bean, how about I make flapjacks _and _your disgusting tofu-cakes for breakfast?" Cyborg suggested.

Beastboy pouted and glared at Cyborg, but relented and said, "Okay, _fine_. Make your egg massacre flapjacks _and_ my superior tofu-cakes. But one day, you will know the error of your ways!"

Cyborg raised his human brow, "Sure," he turned to Robin, "But what was Raven saying about telling us something?"

"I'll tell you all during breakfast," Robin said, "It has to do with a future mission."

"Future mission?" Starfire questioned.

"Yeah. I already told Raven about it, but not to you guys yet," Robin stated.

"You told Raven first?" Starfire queried.

Robin looked at her with a slightly raised brow, "Yeah, we're the only ones that wake up early in the morning."

A small emotion appeared inside of Starfire, Raven noticed. It was very small, but...it felt like...jealousy?

Raven blinked, _'Jealousy? Why would Starfire be jealous? I mean...'_

"Oh, well...yes, I-I suppose that is true..." she was quiet after that.

"Well, you can tell us all about this mission when we all get settled and ready to eat! Y'all sit down and I'll get to making those flapjacks!" Cyborg announced with a smile.

"_A-hem_..." Beastboy said with his fists on his hips and a scowl.

"Oh right," Cyborg rolled his human eye, "Don't worry, grass-stain, I'll make your stanky tofu-cakes as well."

"Hmph! _Thank _you."

A soon as Beastboy, Starfire, Robin, and Raven went to the table to wait on their food, Raven couldn't get the thought out of her head about Starfire's sudden brief jealousy that she felt.

_'That was odd...does she think Robin and I...no, that can't be. Why would she think that? Robin and I don't have a thing...do we?_' Raven's eyes widened in shock at that train of thought. She shook her head and silently chanted her mantra.

"Hey, Rae. You alright?" said Robin's voice.

Raven turned to Robin as he was next to her at his left, while Starfire was at his right. Beastboy was conversing with Starfire on why she would lie about liking his tofu-cakes, while the alien princess tried to defend herself.

Robin looked at the dark heroine in concern, "You looked like you were bothered by something."

"Oh, um...sorry, I'm a little hungry," Raven lied.

_'Wait...why would I lie?'_

Robin smiled at her, "Well, no worries, cause any moment now, we're gonna indulge in pancake Heaven."

"You mean flapjacks," Raven smirked.

Robin chuckled, "Of course. My bad."

She smiled as well and decided to talk to the Boy Wonder while they wait for their food.

_'Everything is good...everything is good right now.' _Raven thought.

* * *

"I can't believe this! We should have been here _hours_ ago, but oh, _nooooo_! You just __had __to look around at that antique shop!" cried an unhappy Joker as he drove into the city limits of Jump City.

Harley, who sat in the passenger seat, turned to look at the crazy clown and said, "But Puddin', look at the nice little lamp I found for our new home," she said with a wave to the backseat of the car. "I would've gotten more stuff but you were rushing me back into the car!"

Joker didn't even bother to look at the lamp; instead, he mumbled rude curses under his breath and continued to direct his stolen automobile through the slightly empty streets of Jump's less populated slums. As the car moved Joker's gleaming, red eyes scanned left to right searching for a place he and Harley could set up shop. Trouble is, there didn't seem to be anywhere big enough.

"And you're saying that you can't believe me! I still can't believe you left my poor babies at home with some incompetent henchmen!" Harley said as she pouted.

"Pfft! Oh please, Harley." Joker said as he was looking around for a place, "Those two fleabags will be fed enough through the next few days! And if they run out of food, well, then the henchmen are smart enough to improvise on what to feed them…you can even say that they could lend Bud and Lou a hand!" Joker grinned and chuckled at the thought of Bud and Lou ripping his henchmen apart for food.

"Ewww…" Harley said, kind of disgusted by that. "I don't know too much about that. I'm trying to feed my babies nutrition, and those knuckleheads are probably too fat for my darlings! Way too much cholesterol."

Joker drowned her out, still looking for a potential building. Just as the Clown Prince of Crime was getting ready to turn the car around and search a different area, he stopped, and while ignoring his passenger's annoying complaints, he looked upon the magnificent structure that sat before him...it was perfect.

It was an old, abandon theater; the kind one would go and see a play in. However, unlike the theaters in Gotham, this one was only two stories tall. A testament to how little the arts mattered to the citizens of Jump. The building was made up of plastered walls, their once forest-green paint job having been aged to a near inky black, and there was a ticket window that sat between the two revolving doors. Even in its day, one could tell with the building's lack of elegant archways and size, it wasn't much of a masterpiece.

Which made it all the more perfect as a base of operation as far as Joker was concerned.

__'Don't want anyone finding me too soon and ruining all my fun,' __he thought to himself as he pulled the car up to one of the broken parking meters. Looking over to his passenger Joker said, "Harley, we're __home__! Hahahaha!"

It didn't long to take the pasty-faced family of two to unpack, and once inside, they learned that what the building lacked in height it made up for in internal size. Most likely to make room for the stage and the concessions in the lobby.

"Oooh, I've always wanted to be part of a theater troupe, and have my five minutes of fame on stage," Harley squeaked in delight as she twirled passed the usher stands. The Joker just mumbled to himself about how her terrible singing was.

_'That's a weapon of mass destruction even _I _wouldn't subject people too,' _Joker thought as he followed the young woman towards the back.

When Joker finally pushed through the double doors that lead to the actual theater Harley was already up on stage and doing a botched job of '__Give My Regards To Broadway'__.

"Harley! Enough daydreaming! Help me set up shop around here!" Joker exclaimed.

However, as soon as Harley snapped out of her moment of imaginary fame, another voice called out from above.

"UGH! Who's the cludge-head that just woke me up from my nap!?"

Immediately the two clowns turned their eyes skyward, towards the upper-deck seating, and were surprised to see a young boy sitting along the railing. He was a shorty, probably only coming up to Joker's knee, and looked like the cue ball of a pool table with his bald head. The youngster was dressed in a green jumper like one would find on a city worker and a pair of gloves and boots that covered his hands and feet respectively.

Once the bald kid finished rubbing the sleep from his eyes he turned the beady pupils towards the stage...

"You better have a good reason for waking me-" As soon as the boy saw the Joker and Harley, his eyes then inflated three times their size and his mouth dropped when he got a look at who he'd just yelled at.

"Wha-wha...h-holy mother of sludge! Y-You...and h-her...you-you're..." shaking his head, he yelled, "GUYS, GET IN HERE!"

Joker and Harley listened as a set of thundering footsteps came their way. The criminal clown stepped aside as a large male in a yellow and black uniform, followed by a young girl with pink hair, strolled through the doors.

The girl with pink hair cried out, "What, Gizmo!? I was in the middle of planning our next job, so this better be good."

The boy known as Gizmo's only response was to point, wide-eyed, in the direction of the pair of pale-faced villains. The girl and the large guy, who hadn't noticed Joker when they walked in, turned their eyes to where the tech genius was pointing...and felt their jaws drop.

The Joker looked at them oddly, and it was soon Harley spoke up with clear agitation in her voice, "Mr. J, I thought you said you'd reserved this place just for the both of us. What's with these pipsqueaks?"

This seemed to shake the trio from their reverie as the girl shook her head to clear her thoughts. She grinned, obviously star-struck as she stepped forward and shook the Joker's gloved hand, "Oh my gosh! W-we're so sorry if us being here was unexpected! Wow! It is an absolute pleasure, no, an _honor_ for you to come here to our home, Mr. Joker!"

"__Your __home?" Joker questioned after forcefully pulling his hand away, "What are a bunch of brats doing skulking around in an abandoned theater? Who the heck are you kids?"

Gizmo by this time had made his way down towards his fellow team-mates and the three posed together as the girl announced, "We're the HIVE Trio, Jump City's most dangerous super-villain team!"

"Jinx!" the girl announced

"Mammoth!" the big guy announced as well.

"And Gizmo!" the short boy known as Gizmo said.

"Hooooo-hah!" the trio did another set of poses, looking quite silly while doing so.

…A long, awkward, silence followed...

Joker stared at the three teens in dumbfounded disbelief for a moment. Even Harley muttered with a cringe, "Sheesh..."

Once the shock had worn off, Joker shook his head and looked at them peculiarly saying, "Uuuuh...doesn't ring a bell."

The three teenage villains postures deflated and slumped as their faces expressed extreme dejection.

However, Joker just had an idea, his mind racing at that moment.

_'Wait a minute. Hmm...if these three delinquents live in this city, then they might have faced Robin's little team of do-gooders before. I could use that to my advantage and learn a little bit about the boy blunder's new team. I actually do need all the help I can get. In fact, maybe I could get even _ _more _ _help from the villains of this city.'_

And when he obtains the TITAN formula__...__

Joker smiled wickedly, __'Yes...I will be able to have ___excellent test subjects by then!'_

Once he directed his attention to this HIVE Trio, who were arguing over how they should've tried a different technique to 'wow' the Joker and Harley, the Clown Prince of Crime got their attention with clearing his throat and saying, "_Excuse me_."

Once the teenagers stopped their bickering, they turned to the evil clown.

He smiled deviously, "Thank you. Now, you said you're this city's most notorious villain group, am I correct?"

The girl, named Jinx, smiled big and nodded, "Yes sir, Mr. Joker! We've learned years of experience at the HIVE Institute! It's a secret school for achieving super-villains and whatnot!"

"Oooh, interesting! And if what you three said is true, then I may just have some use for you…if you're up to it, that is?" Joker asked them with a smirk.

The trio perked up and simultaneously smiled widely.

"Are you kidding? I waited all my life to be in the big leagues such as you, Mr. Joker!" Mammoth said.

"Totally!" Gizmo exclaimed.

"Oh, absolutely!" said Jinx beaming, "And you and Harley are more than welcome to use our home as you see fit! It'd be our pleasure _and _honor to aid a villain as infamous and legendary such as you!"

Joker chuckled evilly. "Well, aren't you a charmer? _Splendid_!" He clapped his hands together and rubbed them. He then asked them with an equally evil grin. "Now, let's cut to the chase, shall we? What do you three know about these __Teen ____Titans__?"


	3. Realization and Forming a Devious Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Titans train for the Conference, while Raven reaches a realization about her feeling for Robin. Cyborg is there to help Raven out.
> 
> Meanwhile, Joker, Harley, and the Hive Trio are forming a plan to one-up the Titans while they steal the TITAN formula.

The morning sun shined onto Jump City. People were now either waking up, getting ready for work, or already busy putting in hours. This was no less true for the city's resident superheroes.

Over in Titan's Tower, the Teen Titans were inside the training hall. Each teen was pushing themselves to the limit so as to be ready for the next threat that could be around the corner. After Robin's briefing, they were all training themselves to watch over any potential medicines that could be altered into harmful substances at the World Medicine Conference.

Beast Boy, the team's resident changeling, had a special training course designed just for him. The obstacles forced him to think fast about which animal would be best suited for the task, using any animal he could transform into to that matches the obstacle, allowing him to not use the same animal twice during the same run. This forced the youngest Titan to move out of his 'core' group of animals and extend his repertoire. Currently, Beast Boy was using a lemur, as opposed to a typical monkey, to traverse across a jungle-gym and come out on the other side. From there the green-skinned youth transformed into an eel to race through the pool that waited beyond the jungle-gym.

While the changeling made good time on his training, in another section of the gym, Cyborg's training was almost slightly less severe. The former athlete was, like Beast Boy, running an obstacle course. Only this one was more suited to athletic-type training. The technological teen had invented the course himself, having its primary function being to keep his insides heated and ready to go. He didn't want his mechanical body locking up on him in the middle of a battle after all.

Sharing the same section with Cyborg was the Titan's leader; Robin. The spiky-haired teen had removed his cape and was busy sparring with a number of battle-bots he'd created to act as sparring partners. The robots were equipped with knowledge of Robin's own fighting technique, but also, they had small amounts of his mentor's as well. Batman wasn't able to keep _everything _a secret from Robin.

Meanwhile, in another section of the training hall, Starfire's emerald-green eyes were narrowed in concentration. She watched the numerous targets in front of her warily. Her training consisted of her having to shut down moving targets that fired back at her. This allowed her to learn about keeping a clear head in battle, and not letting the heat of the moment cost her her edge. When a few of the targets sent energy bolts at her Starfire nimbly danced out of their paths, the whole time trying to control her breathing and focusing her mind. Finally, after ducking another shot, the alien princess saw her chance. She threw her hand out and sent a neon-green bolt of energy hurtling towards one of her targets. The attack landed squarely in the bulls-eye, and the target went dark before dropping to the floor. Five down, twenty to go.

Which finally leaves Raven, who is in her own section of the training hall as she stood there quietly saying her signature mantra. She wanted to practice her magic and try to disarm and handle criminals a little more safely. She had several standing robots ready to take their weapons out and aim them at her, resulting them to shoot out powder-like substance to indicate that the weapon has been fired. She had to disarm them all before the robots try to open proverbial fire. As they did this, she successfully disarmed them, but it was then more robots popped up out of the ground from behind her and made an advancement towards her. She turned around and used her magic to push them, disarm them, and even levitate them off the ground, thus throwing them back at the wall. She kept this up while there weren't any robots left.

While that went on, Robin blocked a right-hook and retaliated with an open palm. Once that bot was knocked aside, the boy wonder was quickly engaged by a pair attempting to double team him. The first one went for a leg sweep which the Titan leader avoided, and then the second drone tried to follow-up with a hammer fist. Robin saw this coming though, and he threw up his arms in an 'x'-block...but he'd forgotten about the third robot.

"Argh!" he cried out as he took the full brunt of the attack.

Bot number three came back with a high jump-kick that landed harshly against the unsuspecting hero's back. This caused Robin to stumble forward, and left him unprepared for the next attack; a punch to the gut from bot number one.

Just as the trio was about to converge on the masked teen all at once they were soon blown to pieces by a number of star-bolts. The wielder, Starfire, appeared almost instantly by her love's side.

"Robin, are you well? I heard your scream of pain and wished to be of assistance! Are you harmed in any way?" the alien girl fretted.

Robin cough from the smoke of the burning robots, internally thinking, _'Well, there goes millions of dollars down the drain...'_

"Heh, uh, no I'm fine, Starfire. Although I would've taken care of that situation by myself, you know?" Robin said in a good-natured manner.

While that happened, Raven took care of the last robot by pushing it back. At the corner of her eye, she caught Starfire at Robin's side, the alien princess looking anxious for their leader. The empath gazed and studied them in silence.

"Oh! I am so sorry, Robin! I knew you would be able to, um...'take them out'? Either way, I just didn't want you to be harmed badly!" Starfire told him with a worried look.

Chuckling, Robin said, "No worries, Star. Although, Cyborg may have to fix these up again," he motioned the destroyed robots.

"Uh, yeah, Star," said Cyborg as he came up to them upon hearing the explosions, "I mean, if you keep this up, Robin won't have anything to train with. And I can only do so much to repair these things."

Starfire looked sheepish and rubbed the back of her head, "I am most sorry. I guess it must be a burden for you, Robin, that I am so overprotective of your well being. But I can't simply help it! We are now in a relationship and I feel as if though I should look out for you!"

"Thanks, Star," Robin genuinely said, "But just know that I got some things in the bag. You got to look out for yourself as well. And if you ever get in a bind, I'll help you out as well."

Starfire smiled warmly and jovially, "Oh Robin, you're so sweet! I am glad to be your friend who is a girl!" and with that, Starfire gave him a kiss on the cheek, making Robin blush.

Raven, meanwhile, just stared at Starfire and Robin's little scene...feeling a tad bit frustrated.

Her lips formed a small frown.

It shouldn't bother her that they're together, but it still...irritated her? Annoyed her? ...Made her upset?

She blinked. Shaking her head to rid of these foreign thoughts about the couple, she thought, _'By Azar, what's wrong with me? I'm not really...I mean...I'm not...jealous, am I?'_

"RAVEN, BEHIND YOU!" she heard Robin shout.

Getting back into reality, her powers fueled by emotions made a robot that was about to attack her explode.

_ **BOOM!** _

She staggered a bit from the explosion behind her. She turned around quickly to see the top half of the robot's body was blown right off...and collapsing in a heap of metal.

Cringing at the damage she's done to the robot, she turned back to the three Titans, who looked at her with surprised and wide eyes.

An ashamed blush was on her face as Raven stood there awkwardly, "Um...sorry. I guess that's another robot you have to fix there, Cyborg," she looked down embarrassed, "...I'm gonna go get some water."

She made her way out of the training hall quickly but gracefully, not looking at her other teammates' expressions.

The other three Titans looked on at the empath as she exits. When Beast Boy came down in as a green flying hawk and morphed back into a human, he asked, "Uh, dudes? What happened?"

Cyborg squinted his human eye in thought. He's noticed for quite some time that Raven looked dazed whenever she was with them. It wasn't all the time, but it always happened when Robin and Starfire were around...

"Yo, guys, I think I need some water too. I had my course set on high today so I'm pretty parched myself," with his peace said, the cybernetic teen made his exit as well.

* * *

Once Raven's inside the break room, she briskly went to the fridge and opened it to get out a bottle of water. Untwisting the cap, she took a swig of it, letting the cool liquid go down her throat. Once she was done drinking some of the water, she took a deep breath and sighed heavily with her eyes closed. Her eyes opened as she looked at the ground in thought.

_'Okay...maybe...I _am_ jealous. And...maybe I do kind of...have some sort of crush on Robin. I mean...yeah, he's a nice guy...and a good leader too...plus, we have a bond. I was in his head once, and...kind of found out some stuff about him.'_

"Hey, Rae?"

Raven jumped at the sound of Cyborg's voice in surprise and one of the light-bulbs that was installed in the overhead lampshade above them popped. She turned around and saw that it was Cyborg, who looked at the broken bulb of the hanging lampshade oddly.

He looked down at Raven and said, "Alright, something's definitely up. What's going on Raven?"

Raven went back to her emotionless façade, "What are you talking about?"

"Nah-uh," Cyborg shook his head, "You might as well fess up. You're not your usual attentive and happy self."

The empath raised an eyebrow, "Happy?"

"Well, whenever you're around us," he shrugged, "But lately you've been kind of...withdrawn lately, except when we fight criminals."

"That's not true," said a defensive Raven, "I hung out with you guys during breakfast every morning."

"Well, yeah, but after that, you kind of just do your own thing in your room. You've even missed out the last three movie nights each Friday," Cyborg countered.

"Well...maybe I was getting tired of watching movies," Raven mumbled as she looked down at her water bottle.

"Rae, last week's movie night was _your_ night to choose. And you really wanted to watch that dark detective movie."

"...I...already know what happens."

Cyborg gave her a disbelieving look, "Really now? Well then, who's the killer?"

Raven groaned, "Look, Cyborg, I...I just don't want to talk about it right now."

"Why can't you?" Cyborg asked simply, "I thought you can control your powers more easily, now that you defeated your father."

"I can. I'm just-I mean...it's just…" Raven faltered there, looking at the floor.

Cyborg frowned in concern. "Rae, come on. You know next to Robin, you can tell me anything, right?"

Raven almost flinched when she heard Robin's name. "Yeah."

"Well then, what's up? It's been a month and I want to see the same Raven who always makes a snarky comeback when Beast Boy tries to make a joke."

Raven softly smiled as she was looking down on the ground, "That Raven's still there."

Cyborg smiled as well, "I hope so. I was starting to worry that you were thinking Beast Boy's jokes were getting funny."

"Pfft! No way in my father's hellish realm."

"Then, come on Raven. What's wrong? If it makes you feel any better, I won't tell anyone about it," Cyborg reassured her.

Raven softly swished her water bottle in a circular motion in thought. She seriously was contemplating whether or not she could tell him. What would he think if she told him that she has some stupid crush on their leader?

Cyborg crossed his arms as he stood there, "You know I'm not letting this go until you tell me what's wrong. You're not the type to hide all this stuff from us anymore, Rae. We're your friends, and you can always trust us, even Beast Boy. Although, he would crack under pressure. Either way, you get the idea. Besides, I don't think all of us can waste any more money on robots and light-bulbs," he said in a joking manner.

Raven cracked a small smile on that, but it soon dropped.

'_Should I tell him…tell him that I like Robin? Should I just…admit it?'_ She rubbed her face with her free hand, and then took a deep breath saying, "Okay, look, I...may...have a crush on someone."

Cyborg's eye widened in shock and surprise, "Whoa...really?"

"Yeah...and...he's closer than you think," she said, keeping her gaze on the floor.

Blinking, the mechanical teen looked thoughtful for a moment. "...Um..." he began, "...please tell me it ain't Beast Boy."

Raven looked up at Cyborg a look of wide-eyed bafflement. "What? _No_! What on earth are you thinking!?"

"Hey, I'm just making sure!" Cyborg said with his hands up in defense. "Cause honestly, and no offense to BB, but you could do way better than him."

She sighed in relief, "Thank you..." she glanced down for a bit, "But...this guy that I have a crush on is...still...in the team."

"Oh..." Cyborg raised a brow, "Wait...is it me?"

Raven just looked at him deadpan, "Cy, no offense, but _no_."

"Oh! Okay, um...well, that's good! I mean..." Cyborg blew a sigh of relief, "Whew! I mean sorry, no offense Rae, but I just view you as a little sister."

"And I view you as a big brother, so we're even," Raven said with a small smile.

"Heh..." Cyborg then looked thoughtful as he put a hand on his chin, "Hmm...if it's not BB and me, then who else would be on the team that's a..." he stopped his sentence as he just made a realization. Eye widened at the possibility, he looked at Raven in shock. "Wait...that would only leave..."

Raven swished around her bottled water, looking a little shy all of a sudden...

Cyborg blinked...and blinked again…the teen shook his head to clear away his shock, "_Whoa_...are...are you saying that you..._like_...

The empath just waited there for him to finish.

"...Robin? As in _like him-_like him?"

...Raven glanced at the floor to her left. "...Maybe."

Raising an eyebrow, Cyborg said, "Maybe? What do you mean?"

"Well...I don't know, I just...get..._jealous_," she cringed, the word sounding foreign to her tongue, "...whenever...he and Starfire get, um...intimate, I guess."

Cyborg hummed in thought, "...Do you feel any emo-" he realized what he was about to say, cringing at the choice of words, but decided to go with it anyway, "uh...e_-emotions_ when it comes to Robin?"

Raven looked at Cyborg with a smile that tells him that she understood what he meant, "Well...I feel...concerned for him for one thing."

"Mm-hmm." Cyborg nodded.

"And...I always like being in his company more...also, I admire his dedication to us. Not to mention he's a very nice guy...and handsome, I...would think. ...He even gave me a chance...and a second chance when he saved me from...my destiny..." she smiled fondly at the memory, "...He said I was the reason he had hope, even when the world supposedly ended that day..." her smile turned warm as she remembered Robin's words...her eyes widened as she realized that she's been talking about for quite some time, "By Azar...I think I _do_ like him that way."

Cyborg blinked at this development. "...Wow," he rubbed the back of his head a little sheepishly, "...Damn."

And here he was, rooting for the other team...the _other _couple...

"Oh man...Rae, I'm...I'm so sorry," Cyborg apologized.

Raven shook her head. "No, don't apologize. You didn't know. It's...okay."

Cyborg frowned. "No, Rae, it's not," he looked ashamed as looked away and rubbed the back of his head again, "Man, I-I should've _known_ actually. I mean, the guy literally went through _Hell _to save you..." he looked at Raven, "That must have meant a lot to you, didn't it?"

Raven looked at her surrogate brother with a melancholy expression. "Yeah…it actually did…"

Cyborg gazed at her with a frown, only this time it was full of sympathy.

The empath then shook her head, "You don't have to worry about it though. It's just a crush. A small and insignificant crush."

"Raven, this doesn't sound like a small, insignificant crush to me from the way you've described your feelings to him," Cyborg said with concern.

"It's fine. It really is. I just...realized it too late."

Cyborg's frown deepened, "No, Rae, _it's__ not __fine._"

Raven looked back at the mechanical teen in question.

He continued, "Raven, as I said, you're like a little sister to me. And I don't want to see my little sister suffering from heartbreak."

Raven looked at him with a frown, "Cyborg, I'd rather not ruin what they have. They're…happy."

Cyborg just stared at her, "…But you're not happy."

Raven stood there. She sighed and looked down once more, "Cyborg…"

She felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. She glanced up at the brotherly concern look in Cyborg's eyes, "Raven…first of all, I ain't gonna tell nobody about this. But you probably already knew that" he smiled, "Secondly…I think you did truly smile when you hugged Robin."

Raven looked at him as she remembered that moment with her and Robin.

"At the time I thought you were just being a very grateful friend. But, the way you hugged him, you seemed happy…_really_ happy," he continued with a nod, his smile still in place.

"...Yeah. I was," she said with a smile.

Cyborg continued to smile, until it faded, his tone turning serious, "So, what are you gonna do?"

Raven's smile went down as well as she looked unsure. "…I don't know. I can't tell him, obviously."

The mechanical teen gazed at the floor, looking thoughtful. "…You know...you can try to tell him."

The empath's reaction one of incredulous disbelief. "Uh...Cy, no offense, but that's the worse advice you can possibly give me."

Chuckling at that, he then said "Well, I tried," but he went back to speaking earnestly, "But seriously, Rae, what are you gonna do then? You can't let this hurt you for the rest of your life."

Raven was silent...she sighed, "I honestly don't know."

Cyborg, feeling sorry for Raven, decided to open his arms wide, saying. "Come here."

Raven blinked, "Uh...are you giving me a hug?"

Cyborg smiled softly, "Hey, I feel like you need one right now."

The teen sorceress was almost hesitant to give one. Not that she doesn't mind hugs every once in a while, she just didn't want to look so...weak, per se. She's one of the proud Teen Titans, the dark heroine named Raven. She can't let something like this effect her...however, she does want some comfort from all this right now...

_'Screw it,' _she relented and gave Cyborg a hug, the mechanical teen returning it and lightly patting her back.

"It's okay, Rae. You'll figure something out. I know you will. And hey, I'll be here whenever you need to talk about it," Cyborg told her.

"...Thanks, Cy." Raven said softly.

They hug for a few more seconds, and they let go of their embrace. Raven smiling slightly, while Cyborg nodded with the same soft smile. He then said, "Do you want to go back to the training room and...well, train?"

Raven thought about it. "…I don't know. Maybe I need to stay in my room for a while and think about some things. Maybe even meditate and read some of my old spell books."

The mechanical young man frowned, "You sure?"

"Yeah..." She looked at Cyborg, "Tell Robin, Starfire, and Beast Boy that I was...uh, exhausted for the day and I'm learning some new spells in my room."

Smiling in understanding, Cyborg nodded and said, "Sure thing."

Raven smiled back, "Thanks...Victor."

Cyborg chuckled, "No prob. Just don't lose hope, Rae."

And with that, he turned around and left Raven alone in the break room.

Raven looked down at her water bottle one more time.

"...Everything will be fine."

She then took another swig of water.

* * *

"So! Let me see if I've got all of this: There's an alien girl who shoots green energy, is super-strong**, **AND can fly; a green changeling boy that can transformed into any animal; a mechanical young man who's has weaponry installed into him; and a sorceress with dark magic that is linked to her emotions," Joker reviewed back to the three teens.

"That's about it," Jinx confirmed as Gizmo and Mammoth nodded.

"Wow. Looks like you're gonna have your hands full, Puddin'," Harley said to Joker.

The Joker sat on one of the old theater chairs as the HIVE trio told him and Harley - who was also sitting on one of the theater chairs next to him – about Robin's team of teenage superheroes in front of them. Listening intently, they gave him exact details about how their powers work, all the while letting Joker form a plan in his mind on how to bring down the Boy Wonder and his little team.

"Hmm…yes, it would seem so," Joker said rubbing his chin in thought. "Who would've thought that the Boy Blunder would form such a strong team? It seems like our little Robin is doing alright with himself," he cracked a sinister grin. "No matter. The only way to deal with little predicaments like these is to use the ol' noggin!"

"Absolutely!" Jinx agreed with enthusiasm. "As I always say to these two knuckleheads over here," she motions to the boys behind her, "tactics and intellect can always bring down the mightiest of foes."

Mammoth looked confused while Gizmo frowned at her.

"You don't always say that," Mammoth said as with a scowl.

Jinx grimaced, turned around and said anxiously, "Y-yes I do! You two just don't remember!"

"_I_ would've remembered it," Gizmo said irritably.

"Shut up Gizmo!" Jinx fumed.

Gizmo crossed his arms and muttered, "Crunging suck up."

Jinx growled.

"_Ahem_."

Jinx blinked, a bit of red flush on her face. She turned around quickly to see Joker and Harley looking unimpressed with her authority. Jinx laughed sheepishly, "Um…so, yeah! Uh…" she then thought of something that she neglected to ask. "Oh! Uh, actually, I feel like I should mention this, and I hope this will be even imperative information to give you, but it's been announced this month that Robin and Starfire are now officially a couple."

"Really?" Joker said in true interest. He smirked, "Well, it seems like Robin has himself a new squeeze!"

"A new one?" Jinx wondered, a brow raised.

Joker chuckled, "Oh yes, he and Batgirl had a thing one time. Although, It looks like he moved on from what you told me. Hah! Sad to know that it didn't work out well with them."

"Yeah, it is a real shame. They actually made a cute couple," Harley said with a shrug, looking like she was actually disappointed.

"Still, good to know!" Joker grinned, "I definitely would love to test out their newfound relationship with each other! Huhuhu! The gears are spinning in my head already!"

"Uh, actually, and excuse me for asking, Mr. Joker and Miss Harley, but, uh...why _are_ you two here in Jump City?" Mammoth asked.

Joker smirked, "Well, since we have ransacked your…" He looked around the place in mild interest, "…_home_, I guess we can tell you all the little details of what and why we're doing here." He stood up and straightened his purple suit. "You see kiddies, I'm here for something that has caught my eye for the past few days, something that has a _great_ amount of potential to cause a _lot _of chaos."

"Chaos, huh? You mean like with explosions and stuff?" Gizmo said with an excited smile.

Chuckling, Joker said, "I like your style, kid."

Gizmo grinned and puffed his chest out in pride. Jinx just glared at the little tech genius.

"But yes! Explosions, mayhem, people screaming and running around like chickens with their heads cut off! You know, the fun stuff! Haha! You see, I've been keeping tabs on a formula that's been developed in Gotham, one that's made by a pharmaceutical scientist that goes by the name of Dr. Penelope Young. She made a powerful formula drug named TITAN – no relation to Robin's team of super freaks, of course - that helps strengthen people's bones, muscle, and skin fibers, which makes the average person themselves even stronger than usual. She _was _going to use it for a super-soldier project for the military, but that didn't really last too long, as she probably thought from the _goodness_ of her heart that she can use this formula to help people out with severe sarcopenia."

"Sarco-what?" Mammoth asked in confusion.

"It's a muscle loss condition, bonehead," Jinx said to Mammoth in annoyance. She turned to Joker with a smile, "Please continue Mr. Joker."

Joker raised an eyebrow as he frowned, "…Rrrright. Anyway, seeing as Dr. Young is going to be here at the World Medicine Conference in your town of Jump, she'll be advertising this drug. I was going to snatch her in Gotham before she can even leave to go to your city and see if she can just make the original formula for me, but since I heard Robin is protecting this city along with his ragtag team of super-brats, I decided to take a personal trip to come here and see my favorite bird-boy! And since I'm just only one man with a woman, I'm thinking I might need the extra help from the city's very own criminals."

"Wow!" Jinx said with her hands clasped together in front of her, having what looks like stars in her eyes. "We would be _SO _privileged to be of assistance to you in any way possible, Mr. Joker!"

Feeling a little creeped out by her attitude and gaze, Joker smiled awkwardly, backing away from her. "Uh…thanks…I _think_."

Harley, who was getting annoyed at the girl's googly eyes staring at her Joker, decided to intervene as she got up from her seat, "Calm your horses, toots. _My_ Puddin' here needs to plan out what to do to give the little Bird Brain and his friends a run for their money."

'_I never thought I'd be so happy to have Harley step in.' _"That's right, my dear!" Joker said, getting behind Harley as if shielding himself with her body from Jinx's gaze. "Actually, now that I know a little bit about Robin's friends, how about I get to know you three?"

Jinx looked ecstatic, while Mammoth and Gizmo looked excited as well.

"Oh certainly! As you know, my name is Jinx, and I perform spells and other powerful magic!" Jinx announced.

As Mammoth and Gizmo were about to tell them what they can do, Jinx jumped in and told them herself, "Mammoth here is, of course, super-strong, hence the name Mammoth, and Gizmo-"

"Hey! I can talk about myself just fine, you know!?" Gizmo exclaimed in annoyance.

"_Gizmo_, I'm _trying_ to be a good hostess _here_." Jinx murmured to the kid genius with gritted teeth.

"Oh, let the kid talk! He interests me the most!" Joker said as he steps away from Harley.

Jinx frowned in dismay while Gizmo grinned smugly and stuck a tongue at the pink-haired girl, in which she softly growled at him. Gizmo then started, "My name is Gizmo, and I'm a technological hacker, genius, and maker of anything tech-related! And I can make ANYTHING; lasers, robots, bombs, all types of cool stuff! You name it, I can create it!"

"Lasers? Robots? _Bombs_? Oh, kid, you're starting to speak my _language_! HAHA!" Joker cackled.

Gizmo beamed, while Jinx rolled her eyes at the boy. Mammoth frowned, feeling dejected on not saying anything about himself.

"In fact, I think I now have the starting blocks of a plan forming in my head already!" Joker said with an evil grin as he rubbed his hands together. He turned to the youngest of the Hive Trio, "Gizmo, was it? Could you make three bombs by tomorrow? Oh, and actually, could you maybe hack into some of these hotel security databases near this city's convention center? Just in case we'll know where Dr. Young will be staying?"

"Sure can on both accounts, Mr. Joker! I'll be sure to make those bombs by tonight or when the day ends, as well as check every hotel security database around! Oh! And maybe I can even have some flying bug cameras to spy on the Titans at their Tower if you want me too?"

"_Really? _Fly-on-the-wall cams?" Joker's eyes widened in delight as he smiled crookedly. "You really would do that for little old me?"

"Absolutely!" Gizmo grinned.

"Well, blow me down and call me Charlie! Haha! You're gonna go far, kid!" Joker compliments him with a smirk. "In that case, go do your thing then, little man!"

Gizmo, happy to make the villain be so impressed with him, saluted with a smile as he said, "You can count on me, Mr. Joker!" he made his way back to his lab at the back of the theater.

"Tch, show-off," Jinx murmured. Although, her expression turned uncertain for a second when Joker said 'bombs'. If she knew from all the accounts from other teen villains that heard about the Joker, he makes the most elaborate and deadliest traps to bring down even Superman. When thinking about it, Jinx puts a finger on her chin, contemplating on what this plan Joker had in mind could be.

Mammoth came up to Joker and asked, "So, uh, when you say this Titan formula can make a person stronger, can it also make someone like me stronger as well?"

"Why of course!" Joker said to Mammoth, putting an arm around his bulky shoulders. "This stuff makes you tougher, stronger; heck, it could even make you smarter too!"

Mammoth smiled, "I like the sound of that!"

Joker chuckled, patting his shoulder, "I'm sure you do!"

Jinx then spoke up as she shortly approached Joker. "Um, excuse me, Mr. Joker?"

Joker turned to the sorceress, "Hmm?"

"If you don't mind me asking, but where are you going to plant these bombs?" Jinx asked, her eyes looking…hesitant?

Joker looked at the pink-haired girl to study her a bit. Although she says she wants to help out, her eyes hold a certain hesitation…a hesitation that Joker didn't like one bit. Still, he needs all the help he can get, so he doesn't want to lose her trust as of yet. He has to play it out.

He grinned, "Oh, you don't have to worry your pretty little head on that, Darling." He said, patting Jinx's head. "Besides, I won't be planting them; you and your friends will!"

"R-Really?" Jinx asked in surprise, "Oh! W-Why thank you Mr. Joker! It'll be an honor! We'll do our best!" she said with a happy smile.

Joker chuckled again, "That's what I love to hear! Now, do you happen to have a map of this city by any chance?"

"Oh, absolutely! We use it to plan out our crimes and robberies!" Jinx answered as she nodded eagerly.

"Fantastic! Will you be a dear and please bring it to me?"

"Certainly, Mr. Joker! Mammoth could even bring you a table to lay it on!" Jinx said excitedly.

"I can?" Mammoth asked in confusion, but as soon as he saw Jinx's glaring eyes at him, he said, "Oh! Y-yeah! Sure I can!" He soon dashed onto the stage and went somewhere into a room.

"Excuse me for just a moment! Mammoth is kind of clumsy at times, so I need to guide him while he carries that table." Jinx advised to the diabolical couple. She then went and followed Mammoth.

Once she was gone, Harley turned to Joker and said with an envious look, "Well, that Jinx gal certainly is taking a _liking_ to you."

"Oh please, Harley, don't be jealous." Joker said with a smirk directed at her, "I can't help it if I'm _charming_!" he chuckled.

Harley just glared at Joker and huffed, crossing her arms while she looked the other way. Jinx then came back carrying a large map that's rolled up in her hands, as well as Mammoth carrying a large table over his head.

"Okay, set it in front of him, _gently_!" Jinx told Mammoth.

Mammoth rolled his eyes and did as he was told and set the table in front of Joker, while Jinx then spread the map on the table to let him take a look at it. The blueprint map of the city looked very detailed and provided Joker a good grasp of what the city's layout is.

"Ah, yes, this will do _splendidly_!" Joker said with a smirk.

Jinx beamed, feeling proud of herself. "Oh, fantastic! I'm so glad I can be of help!" Jinx said happily.

"Oh yes, Darling! You help me more than you know!" Joker smiled wickedly as he chuckled some more. He then looked at the map again, "Now, in the meantime, I have some questions that involve which locations I want you and your friends to plant these bombs…"


End file.
